Happy Birthday, Daniel-san.

At first glance, that seems almost impossible to me. I remember seeing him on Eight Is Enough when i was a kid. I remember all the covers of Teen Beat and Sixteen (hey, I had a little sister). And of course, we all remember The Karate Kid. How could Macchio be in his fifties?

And then I realize that I am 46, and I feel like I’ve been crane-kicked in the privates. Get me a body bag.

In honor of Ralph’s birthday, the Analog Kid is proud to present the original soundtrack to The Karate Kid. I ripped it from my original vinyl copy this very morning. Like most ’80s soundtracks, it has some spectacular moments and some painful ones. It also has “The Best Around,” which somehow manages to be both painful and spectacular at the same time.

So happy birthday, Ralph. Both you and Elisabeth Shue never seem to get the respect you deserve.